Panama Canal Postpones Neopanamax Draft Cut for a Second Time
Gatun Lake has held near 84 feet, deferring a reduction that was to take effect on 1 October
The Panama Canal Authority has deferred a planned cut to the maximum draft at the Neopanamax Locks for the second time in a matter of weeks, holding the limit at 14.63 metres, or 48 feet. The reduction to 14.48 metres had been due at the start of September, was pushed to 1 October, and on 4 September was deferred again. The authority has set out the postponement in its own notice.
The decision rests on the latest review of water levels and weather projections. Canal data shows Gatun Lake holding fairly consistently at 84 feet after dipping just below that mark at the end of August, with the current forecast pointing to a rise of as much as 0.4 feet into October before the decline resumes. Levels normally rise in the autumn as the rainy season arrives.
That steadiness sits against a harder outlook. The World Meteorological Organization warned on 3 September that El Nino is firmly established and that there is an exceptionally high likelihood, near 100 percent, of it persisting into February 2027, strengthening to a very strong event before peaking towards the end of this year.
Holding the draft matters most to the largest boxships and gas carriers, the vessels with the least tolerance for a half-foot reduction. Some gas carriers have already routed around South America, and two paid record auction prices to jump the transit queue. During the 2023 and 2024 drought, some container vessels had to lighten by moving boxes across the isthmus by rail.
The authority is trading draft against transit numbers rather than cutting both. Daily slots at the older Panamax Locks were reduced to nine as of 3 September, with transits there lowered to 25 and scheduled to fall to 23 from 15 September. The same balancing was used through the 2023 drought.
Waiting times have eased. The average wait for a northbound transit stood at 8.8 days for vessels without a booking, with only four unbooked ships waiting, three of them Neopanamax. A total of 85 ships with reservations were waiting as of 3 September, and the authority continues to press owners towards the reservation system. Traffic between Balboa and Cristobal remains subject to further change.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 8 September 2026.
